“What did Theodore Roosevelt want to do? Everything. And all at once if possible. Plunging headlong into life, he refused to waste a single minute. Among other things, he studied birds, shot lions, roped steer, fought a war, wrote books, and discovered the source of a mystery river in South America.” So opens this lively biography of a man who became President of the United States. Written in Jean Fritz’s typically colorful style, the story combines a good sense of his character and his accomplishments, mostly before becoming President, with striking details--as New York City police commissioner, he wore bright pink shirts with a black silk cummerbund that had long tassels. Quotes, anecdotes, and vivid prose make this an exceptionally readable biography of one of our more unusual Presidents.
Reading Std #6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. Clearly Fritz finds Roosevelt an interesting subject. Have students consider whether she is biased in his favor or against him, or is even-handed in her treatment, requiring them to point to specifics in the text.
